My car was stolen and my photo card has expired

[ivylam]

my car was stolen 2 days ago. I have reported this with the police and insurance company, I notice my photo card had expired when the insurance company asked for my DVLA code. I’m worries this will void my whole claim? I renew my license the following day when I reported to my insurance company.

would they cop out and void my claim?

what photocard? do you mean driving licence?

Yes, my driving license.

What is a DVLA code? Are you in England?

You don't need to have a driving license to own a car and you're claiming for the car being stolen, not for accident damage when you would have been driving it. Check your insurance policy for what the exact terms of the insurance are.

If you don't have a driving licence you probably don't have insurance, not sure if it is OK if you were not driving at the time but I guess the implication is you might have been. Do you have road tax and an MOT at least? Sounds a bit bad for you.

Yes, I’m in the UK. The DVLA code is basically all the information regarding your driving license.

If you have a valid passport apply online and it will show online within 24hours. You can also apply in person at some post offices and it’ll show as valid straight away online within 24 hours.

I believe though your licence is still valid it’s just your photo card has expired so in theory shouldn’t invalidate insurance but I’d get it renewed just in case.

I renewed the day after when my insurance company requested the DVLA code to check my driving history.

My car insurance states that any driver must hold a valid driving licence or must have held a valid driving licence and not be banned from driving. It seems that an expired licence is not a problem for insurance

I did similar and delayed sending in the check code till it changed to valid online.

And the claim was okay?

I never made a claim before in my 20 years of driving.

Your insurer can only void your insurance for things that affect their risk. The fact that your driving licence has expired has no effect on the risk of your car being stolen. If your insurer attempts to refuse cover, you should refer them to the ombudsman.

Note that the date shown at 4b on a photocard is the date when the photo expires. Your licence remains valid until the dates shown in column 11 on the back of the card. It is treated in the same way as failing to notify DVLA of a change of address - you have committed an offence but your licence remains valid.

ZOMBIE!